A NOSTALGIC TUNE...Zaiton singing belting her old favourites at Ames Hotel.
MELAKA: Veteran singer Zaiton Sameon silenced naysayers with a memorable vocal showcase at a Ramadan buffet preview here on Thursday (Feb 16) night.
The 67-year-old mesmerised the crowd of hundreds with renditions of her old favourites, to prove she could still sing despite traumatic brain injuries sustained in an accident over 30 years ago.
In an interview with The Star’s Malay language portal mStar on Thursday, Zaiton said she was saddened by allegations made by some quarters that she could no longer sing.
"I can still sing," she stressed.
Zaiton is also the holder of an OKU (persons with disabilities) card, which she received on Nov 14 from the Social Welfare Department.
The 1980s pop singer was involved in a tragic accident at Batang Kali, Selangor in Feb, 1990 at the height of her popularity.
ALSO READ: 32 years after tragic accident, singer Zaiton Sameon gets OKU Card: 'I have lost everything'
The accident claimed the life of her 13-year-old son Azirwan Abu Bakar and left Zaiton in a coma for three months.
She shot to stardom after winning the Juara Lagu competition in 1987 with her song Menaruh Harapan, composed by A. Ali.
The event at Ames Hotel in Ayer Keroh here was to introduce 280 local and international dishes for its Ramadan buffet starting from March 23.
The session also turned nostalgic for senior hoteliers when Jean Marc Lafosse, the CEO of Alorie Hospitality which manages the hotel, delivered his speech.
Lafosse was the manager of Allson Klana Resort (now Klana Resort) in Seremban, Negri Sembilan when it opened in 1992.
Those who worked under him there described the veteran hotelier as a stickler for discipline but a kind-hearted superior who provided opportunities to all his staff to grow in the hospitality industry.
Lafosse, who has managed various hotels around the world, was awarded the Silver Medal of Tourism in 1999 by the French government.
